Lotto jackpot fever sweeps town

Florence Els urges locals to come and buy a ticket from the luckiest Lotto store in Rotorua. Photo / Stephen Parker

Rotorua's "luckiest" store is expecting big sales for tomorrow's $34 million Powerball jackpot.

Having previously sold two winning Powerball tickets and four Lotto First Division winning tickets, Countdown Rotorua has been deemed the luckiest local store to buy a ticket.

It's followed closely by Springfield Superette and Lotto, which has sold one Powerball winning ticket and five Lotto First Division winning tickets.

Florence Els has worked at Rotorua Countdown Lotto for the past 11 years, having sold three of the lucky tickets to previous winners herself. She said she was hoping a local would pick up the next big prize.

"It's exciting when you sell a winning ticket, people can't believe that they've won. On Saturday we had a really long queue, we have been really busy. I expect we will be very busy tomorrow," she said.

Mrs Els said if the jackpot does not go then it could jackpot to $40 million meaning it would have to go on Saturday.

The $34 million Powerball jackpot is one of the largest prizes in history.

The largest prize ever won with Powerball was in September 2013 when a West Auckland resident won $33 million.

Only one lottery ticket in New Zealand has ever won a prize of more than $34 million.

Lotto New Zealand expected there to be more than a million customers in to win.

Last year was the luckiest year for Powerball players, with 13 Kiwis winning big with Powerball First Division.

The biggest prize was won in Rotorua, when a local family scooped the top Powerball prize of $24 million in June.

Rotorua's luckiest wins:

* Countdown Rotorua has sold two Powerball winning tickets and four Lotto First Division winning tickets, making it the "luckiest" store in Rotorua.

* In June 2008, it sold a ticket that won $8 million

* In May 2011, it sold a ticket that won $10 million

* Springfield Superette and Lotto has sold one Powerball winning ticket and five Lotto First Division winning tickets.

* In June 2015, it sold a ticket that won $24 million